Railway-switch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1, J. QUINN. RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 344,544. Patented June 29, 1886.

-1- A w 5g 2 u w 45* n 4 r r S 4 Q L INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet; 2. J. QUINN. RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 344,544. Patented June 729, 1886.

WITNESgSiELS IN VENTOR ATTORNEYS,

Nv PETERS. Fhclwljlhngnpbnr. Washinglnn. D4 0,

liln rrnn States ram @rrrca JOHN QUINN, OF ELIZABETHPORT, --NEVV JERSEY. I

RAILWAY=SWETCH.

SPECIEECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 34:4,544, dated June 29, 1886.

Application filed November 28, 1885. Serial No. 184,176. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, .TONH QUINN, of Elizabethport, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Switch, of which the follow mg is a full, clear, and exact description.

The principal object of my invention is to operate railway-switches from the locomotive or car, so the control of the switches will be entirely in the hands of the engineer, or driver in case ofa streetcar.

Another object is to lock the switch-rails in open or closed position, or both, by the weight of the locomotive or car passing the switch, so that there will be no danger of derailment when the switch is open, or failure of the train to take the switch when closed Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate co rresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of an ordinary main track, siding, and switch having my switchoperating and switch-locking mechanism applied thereto, the switch being shown set for the main track. Fig. 2 is a section across the main track and switch,showing the switch set for the siding, and showing in sectional elevation a part of a locomotive having applied thereto the switch-operating device. Fig. 8- is a section across the main-track and switch, showing wheels upon the track, and showing the switchlocking mechanism, the switch being set for the main track.

A A represent the rails of the main track;

B B, the rails of the siding, and O 0 represent the switch-rails connected together by one or more cross pieces or rods,D. Attached to one of the cross-pieces D or to one of the switchrails is the rod E. This reaches a suitable distance to one side of the track, and is attached at its outer end to one arm of the bellcrank lever F, which is pivoted upon a firm and rigid pivot at f. The other arm of the bell-crank F is attached to the rod G, that runs a considerable distance along the main track and along the siding, and is connected at its extremities to the outer arms of the two bellcrank levers H H. The bell-crank lever H This lever I stands near the main track, and is fulcrumed at z, and its free rear end is formed with the two opposite inclines z" and 2'", for the purposes.

hereinafter described. The bell-crank H is pivoted upon a firm pivot, t", and its inner arm is connected by the rod 1'" to the lever J,-

operation of these two levers IJ together will be hereinafter described.

The rails of the main track are cut away at a a, just in front of the points of the switchrails G O, to receive the switch-locking plates K K. These are placed opposite to each other,and act alternately-that is,the plate K acts to lock the switch set for the main track, and plate K to lock the switch set for the siding. The plate K is attached to a shaft, k, journaled in the fixed stud 7c. The plate K is attached to a similar shaft, m, journaledin a fixed stud, m. Theshafts at each have corre sponding downwardly-projectiug and rigidlyconnected cranks, (marked n a respectively,) and these cranks are connected together and to the switch-rails O by a rod, L, that passes under the track, so that when the switch-rails are shifted the rod L will be moved longitudinally, which movement will turn the cranks n a and their respective shafts k m, in the same direction, through a space of a fifth of a circle or thereabout, and this movement of the shafts will properly operate the lockingplates K Kthat is to say, when the switchrails are moved toward the stud k the movement of rod L will move crank a outward away from the track, and swing the lockingplate K forward and downward upon the rail where the wheels of the locomotive and cars will run upon it, so under the weight upon it it will react through the shaft 70, crank n, and rod L, and lock the switch set for main track. The movement of the rod L that lowers the locking-plate K also swings the crank n toward the track, and swings the opposite locking-plate, K, upward and outward away from. the track, as indicated in the drawings.

lVhen the switch is set for the siding, the rod L will move with the switch-rails in the opposite direction, which will simultaneously reverse the locking plates-that is, it will swing the plate K upward and away from the rail, and lower the plate K upon the opposite rail, so the wheels will run upon it and cause it under the weight to react through the shaft m, crank n, and rod L, to lock the switch set 5 for the siding.

The switch is operated. from the locomotive or car M by means of a vertical rod, N, held in a sleeve, N, attached to the frame of the locomotive or car.

stand outside the railway-track, and is under the control of the engineer, being adapted to be depressed by a lever, N. A coiled sprin N", is placed in the sleeve N for normally holding the rod N elevated so it will clear the switchactuating levers I J. The fulcrumpins of the levers I J are located a distance from the rails somewhat less than the pin N,

as indicated in Fig. 1, so that when the locomotive passes the lever I, for example, said lever being in the position shown in Fig. 1, -'and the pin N being depressed, the pin N will strike the lever just in front of the fulcrum z, and will force the forward end of the lever toward the track, which will turn the bell- 2 5 crank levers H, F, and H. The movement of the bell-crank B will set the switch for the siding, and also operate the switch-locking plates K K, as above described. The movement of the bell-crank H will swing the rear end of the lever J toward the track, so that the pin N (if depressed) as the locomotive passes the le- Ver J will strike the lever beyond its fulcrum j and operate the bell-crank levers H F H in the opposite direction, which will cause bell- 3 5 crank F to set the switch for the main track,

and at the same time reverse the switch-locking plates K K, as above described.

The inclined surfaces i j of the levers I J, respectively, serve to cause the operating-pin 40 N on the locomotive to move the rear end of the levers toward the track in proper position should they be displaced before the pin strikes the lever in front of their pivots. The inclines i j of the lever I J are for causing the 4 5 operating-pin on the locomotive to operate the switch when the locomotive is backed from the siding upon the main track, so that after the locomotive has backed past the lever I the main track will be clear, and the engineer has The rod N is'located to simply-to raise the pin N to pass the switch and run along the main track with safety.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The'combination,with a railroad-switch, of pivoted locking-plates arranged at the sides of the track, with their free ends when lowered resting upon the main rails, and means for alternately raising and lowering thesaid plates from and upon the main .rails by the movement of the switch-rails, substantially as described.

2. The switch-rails C and rod L, connected thereto, in combination with the switch-locking plates K K, attached to crank-shafts journaled on opposite sides of the track, the cranks of said shafts being connected to the rod L, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The rails of the main track cut away at a, in combination with the switch locking plates arranged to be operated by the movement of the switch-rails, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-switch, the combination, with the switch-rails, of levers having double inclines pivoted at the side of the track and adapted to be operated by a projection on the locomotive, meansfor connecting the said levers together and to the switch-rails, and pivoted locking-plates connected to the switchrails, substantially as herein shown and described.

5. The combination,with the switch-rails O, of the levers I J, having double inclines i i j'j the bell-cranks F H H, and the connect- S5 ing-rods E G, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. The combination,with the switch-rails C, of the levers I J, having double inclines i i jj, the bell-cranks F H H, the connectingrod E G, the locking-plates K K, the crankshafts k n m n, and rod L, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

, JOHN QUINN.

Witnesses:

H. A. Wnsr, EDwD. M. CLARK. 

